Rhubarb has been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. It is one of the most commonly used herbs in Chinese Medicine. Of all the many herbs cultivated for medicinal uses in early civilizations, Chinese Rhubarb remains one of the few which is still used today.

In traditional China, rhubarb root was used for curing stomach ailments, relieving severe constipation, and as a poultice for fevers and swelling.